Some of Britain's best jams can be found in the most accessible of places: your local supermarket. Here's a rundown of the best jams you can buy at the supermarket.
There’s nothing quite so quintessentially English as tucking into a delicious piece of jam on toast, or adorning a freshly baked scone with the sticky treat. While you may think that the tastiest jams you’ll find will be at local farmers markets, independent shops and your very own kitchen, I’ve discovered some fantastic varieties can be had at the supermarket.
Here’s a rundown of some of the best jams you’ll find in the supermarket today.
Best reduced sugar/healthier jam
Waitrose High Fruit Cherries & Berries Jam
With reduced sugar jam, you often run the risk of it tasting too tart, or artificial sweeteners leaving a nasty taste in the mouth. This is not the case with this Waitrose variety. Instead, you’ll find it packed with lots of fruit, just the right level of sweetness and suitable for a variety of uses, including baking and on-toast. The real fruits give the jam a lovely chewy texture, and would be great for anyone conscious about sugar levels, or for children, while not missing out on great taste.
Best for baking
Duchy Originals Damson Preserve
When choosing a jam for use in baking, there are a number of things I like to look out for. I want a smooth jam – nothing worse than tucking into a delicious sponge and coming across pips and bits, and most of the time I’m looking for something tangy and sharp to offset the sweetness of the bake. For this, I’ve found Duchy Originals Organic Damson Preserve. It’s slightly more unusual than using something obvious like raspberry, but still has that delicious tang to it. Apparently, hand-stirring in open pans gives it its rich flavour, but it could also be the organic damsons grown in Worcestershire that do the trick. You could try the jam in Brian Turner’s trifle, as a great alternative to the raspberry suggested.
Best for toast
Wilkin & Sons Ltd ‘Sweet Tip’ Raspberry Conserve
On toast, I prefer sweet jams to contrast with the savoury flavour of the bread. This raspberry conserve ticks all the boxes of cramming lots of fruity taste, with a great texture and a traditional taste. You can actually see the raspberry pips in the jam, which add a great crunch to the texture and give you great confidence in the amount of fruit that has been used to make it (52g per 100g).
Best traditional taste
Bonne Maman Blackcurrant Conserve
It’s a tough life, testing jams, but of all the jams I tested, the one that seemed most reminiscent of a traditional, home-made jam was Bonne Maman Blackcurrant conserve. The perfect level of sharpness, great texture, and lashings of fruit conjured up visions of French country cooking for me in one bite.
Best all-rounder/value for money
Hartley’s ‘Best’ Strawberry Jam
It’s always worth having a pot of jam in the cupboard for those spur of the moment baking challenges, like Lisa Faulkner’s Scotch Pancakes. A good all-rounder, with a simple but delicious taste is Hartley’s strawberry jam. A classic that appeals to most tastes, it’s also surprisingly packed with real fruit which make for a great chewy texture that’s not too gritty.
What are your favourite jams?
Have you got a favourite supermarket jam we’ve missed? What do you look for in a jam? Do you make your own jams – and if so, what’s your secret to great taste? Share your thoughts using the comment box below!
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Photo courtesy of Amy Davies